TRENTON — A group of Newark parents has lost a legal battle to overhaul the way public school teachers in the state are laid-off — dealing another blow to education reform groups that have tried to dismantle similar protections across the country. In New Jersey, school districts must lay off teachers based on seniority, regardless of… Read the rest of this entry »

Computers serving the City of Newark have been infected by ransomware, according to a report by TAPintoNewark. The computers are unusable and the hacker has demanded 1.7 Bitcoin, the equivalent of $30,000 to unlock the City’s system.

The City’s police department’s computers were unaffected by the RSA-2048 encryption that was installed on Newark computers on Friday.

NEWARK — The Environmental Protection Agency will be assisting the state in its continuing probe into elevated levels of lead found in the drinking water at 30 Newark public school buildings, an EPA spokesman confirmed Thursday. “The New Jersey (Department of Environmental Protection) has requested EPA’s assistance,” spokesman John Martin said Thursday. The lead levels reported… Read the rest of this entry »

Holiday Express, in a concert setting. This holiday season, Holiday Express will bring high-spirited holiday music to 81 homeless shelters, psychiatric hospitals, developmental centers and other places where live music is seldom heard. And it won’t charge the facilities a penny. About 150 musicians donate their services to make those 81 shows happen – about 50… Read the rest of this entry »

Ladies, you don’t have to get your guy a present. You are a gift. But if you want to, a new HD TV is acceptable. Head over to Airport Plaza in Hazlet and visit IEIfor the best selection and pricing. Guys, don’t even think about getting your love a TV for Valentine’s Day.

The Izod Center is being shut down, but several events, including the Ringling Bros. circus, will keep the lights on through March. (Mitsu Yasukawa | The Star- Ledger)

EAST RUTHERFORD — It began with Bruce. It apparently will end with elephants and clowns. The last act of the Izod Center will be the circus. State officials, who last week announced the closing of the aging arena in the Meadowlands by the end of the month, say they are working to move the remaining events… Read the rest of this entry »

Government -sanctioned theft. That’s the phrase state Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) has used like a ubiquitous bumper sticker to rail against red-light cameras. A story by njadvancemedia reporter Bill Wichert shows just how much “theft” was going on in the city of Newark. In five years, Newark collected $34 million from about 400,000 tickets doled out… Read the rest of this entry »

NEWARK — Owing to safety concerns, the Newark Police Department is pulling one-officer units off of the streets, according to the president of the police officer’s union there. “The Newark Fraternal Order of Police is primarily concerned with the safety of the officers in the street,” James Stewart, the president of the union, said late Saturday.… Read the rest of this entry »

A West African man who landed late Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport is no longer showing symptoms of Ebola after he was monitored overnight at an area hospital, according to New Jersey media. NJ.com reports the Liberian man had been singled out because he exhibited a fever. “During the enhanced screening process for individuals arriving… Read the rest of this entry »